Milwaukee Tool has updated their jobsite scissors.
After looking into it, it seems that the changes are only cosmetic.
A reader alerted me to the change in a comment to my post on Milwaukee’s Iron Carbide cutting edge treatment. Håvard (thank you!) wrote:
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Milwaukee recently refreshed these scissors (the Jobsite series, 48-22-4041 and 48-22-4040) with a new series that doesn’t seem to have iron carbide edges anymore (48-22-4046 and 48-22-4047). Do you have any contacts in Milwaukee who could tell you why they moved away from that?
I checked, and the newer scissors’ product listings indeed do not make any mention of an iron carbide cutting edge treatment. The handle grips have also changed from a red and black color scheme to all-red.
I asked Milwaukee Tool for more information, and they said (with emphasis my own):
I’m happy to report we have gotten an answer to your scissor question. This product went through an update in 2022, where we changed the handle design but kept the blades the same. Packaging was actually updated in 2017 to show messaging that resonated better with our users. You can safely tell your reader that the blades have not changed!
The handle grip color change isn’t a big deal, and this is something the brand has done before, such as with their locking pliers and other hand tools.
While not the same exact style, shown here is how Milwaukee changed their locking pliers handle grips over the years.
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I came across the new style at my local Home Depot store.
Both the straight and offset jobsite scissors have been updated with the new all-red handle grips.
I have the older style jobsite scissors, and have had nothing but great experiences with them. I expect the same from these updated models.
New SKUs:
Straight Scissors – 48-22-4046
Offset Scissors – 48-22-4047
Fritz+gorbach
I own the offsets. They ride around in my sheet metal toolbox. Chop up insulation, plastic straps, cardboard for patterns, whatever else we need. I’ve always been happy.
MoogleMan3
I have a set of both the straight and angled variants. Amazing shop scissors. I like them so much I bought a second set for my go-bag. All the sets I have are the red and black but I do like the look of the all red updates.
JoeM
Ah yes… The age old topic… Why is it, no matter how many versions of “Scissors” you require, you are always in need of more pairs of every kind you have? Not out of compulsion, but out of necessity.
Buy 2 standard sets of kitchen scissors, never a pair available in the kitchen when you need them. 10, same situation. All 10 belong in the kitchen, all ten are clean, all 10 should be where the scissors are, but they’re always gone. Scale it up as high as you want, there will never be enough scissors in your household. 2, 10, 20, 200… no matter how many you buy, no matter how well you keep organized… they’re never there when you need them. Even if they’re a specialty pair, like pinking shears, or tailor’s scissors, even Rescue Scissors… You reach for them where they’re meant to be, they will Not be there. And when you find them, you discover they’re needed elsewhere as well, so getting more pairs would “Logically” solve this problem. And yet… it doesn’t. In a paraphrase of a famous idiom… Find the right amount of scissors, and someone will invent a reason why they need the scissors elsewhere.
As to the grip change… I think we’ve figured out already that I’m not going to complain. If Milwaukee adds a little grip black into their hand tool lineup… so be it. If it’s scissors? Chances are, if you have the old ones, you’ll end up buying the new ones at some point… because… well… Scissors. It won’t be such an extreme case for things like locking wrenches, obviously. Those, one would hope, you could keep better track of than your scissors. Wrenches, Hammers, all the other tools that are affected by the new grip designs, same thing. Eventually, if you liked the old one, its replacement will do you no wrong. You’ll likely get it if you need it.
Scissors? Y’know what? Even sitting here, pondering this age-old mystery… I’m reminded I need several different replacement pairs, as mine have gone missing. I’ve pinned down my EDC and First Aid sets… but my hobby sets, like my actual tailor’s scissors? Missing. I’m even missing a cousin of the Scissors, my Seam Ripper… So… Daddy’s in the market for more scissors again! As usual!
TomD
Same thing happens with tape measures. I thought I had enough. I thought wrong.
Gregg
Don’t forget the 10 mm socket
MM
Yep. 9/16″ socket and 5/32nd allen wrench aren’t far behind for me either.
Meanwhile basic cordless chargers seem to breed like rabbits….
JoeM
Ugh… Those are almost all the same for me as well! You’re basically going down one of the oddest shopping lists I’ll ever have to make!
And, yeah MM… Tool Battery chargers, and the now-ubiquitous basic USB chargers for mobile devices and accessories…. Someone needs a charger? I have spares…. of spares… even giving One away would do me a favour. And I’m doing myself no extra favours by intentionally going on Amazon and buying deliberate numbers of higher-wattage and higher-numbers of ports versions of the USB chargers… Buy any of those, and suddenly it frees up both plug space, as well as more basic chargers for the pile!
Do we need a support group for “Items we can never, ever, stop buying” ’cause it sounds like we all need to be reminded “You’re not alone in that!” I know hearing you guys having this problem with never having enough of your items, certainly makes me feel better about my scissor problem.
Andy H
Thos is the truest s̶t̶a̶t̶e̶m̶e̶n̶t̶ essay I’ve seen on the interwebs in a long time.
JoeM
No need to strike out “statement”, just use Essay. It is very accurate. No shame or ill will in calling it what it is. I’m glad you acknowledge it that way!
Jerry
If I had to guess, I’d say the new solid colored handles are a bit easier and cheaper to manufacture. If the function as well and have equal comfort, its probably a good move.
TomD
They’re also a bit more “on brand” – and since my wife stole the first one I got perhaps they realize they’re not just being used on the job site.
Stuart
If I recall correctly, this is the reason they gave when I asked about other handle color changes in the past.
Quinton
To that point, they’re probably doing the Black/Red on their new premium US tools and demoting the non-US tools to the cheaper red. It’s probably branding as well as the appropriate cost savings and price point for each product class.
xu lu
More cost reduction at work here. Fewer colors & fewer pieces to assemble. It reveals where the brand is internally- full on decontenting mode. That this follows on the spectacular impact driver failure is unsurprising. As Sinatra sang, the best is yet to come. As someone who believes Milwaukee is the best system, i nonetheless will diversify my risk by moving to another platform. You dont wait until the fire blocks the exits. Always leave at the first sign of trouble. You can always go back.
Bob
I’ve had these new scissors for a few weeks now. Not too impressed. I cut a lot of adhesive stuff like velcro and vinyl. They gunk up really quick and they are tough to clean.
Stuart
Adhesive materials are hard on most scissors.
You might want to try Teflon-coated scissors, which seem to gunk-up less when cutting sticky tapes and similar.
Bob
Thanks, I’ll look into that. I noticed a coworker of mine has some nice old lightweight Fiskars that are all metal and they cut well and never seem to gunk up. Might try to get a pair of both.
Adam
Fiskars makes a florescent green pair in several sizes that is designed for duct tape (they spell it duck in their description on Amazon).
John L
You know whats worse than adhesive… Upholstery foam. I helped a friend cut a foam mattress topper, we used a big kitchen knife and had to resharpen it every foot. It was Sheffield Steel too, not junk.
subsurfacesailor
I have a big red rubber band around the offset scissors to stop me from grabbing them, every time I use them without gloves on I pinch the heck out of the palm of my hand.
Dave
The old black and red wasn’t just multi-color, it was multi-material. The black was a grippy rubber and much better to handle, in my opinion.
Definitely seems like a cost-cutting measure.
Will
Yup, this. ^
Echoing here. It’s not just a color change. The black on the older ones is a rubber overmold. My thoughts exactly, assuming to cut costs. Maybe they had complaints of the rubber overmold not holding up or something but I prefer the older red/black ones. I haven’t had a problem with the rubber deteriorating or whatever nor have I experienced that on any of my other MW tools with rubber overmolds.
When I heard earlier this year that MW was updating them I bought spares of the red/black ones when they were still available. Glad I did cause they have better grip & feel better in my hand.
John L
I have that pair of scissors thats the first image in the article. The blades are ok but the grips are horrid. Couldnt suck more if they tried. Theyre the universal left and right type, which means they fit neither, worse theyre too small. I do not have large hands. I used a sanding drum and a couple of round files to attempt to mimic the way a right handed grip should be shaped because they were just awkward as is. It helped but not much. Im looking for another pair of scissors now.